If you've seen even a few seconds of the preview where Mickey Mouse offers his arm to the author who's work has been Disneyfied and she reluctantly accepts at the premiere, you have no excuse to watch this movie and be in any way disappointed or surprised.
Obviously its the courtship of the reluctant author, and its the movie's job to sell it, so you watch this, with your defenses up or down, to see if they can pull it off. Well, the game is rigged. If you grew up with Disney culture and/or with Hollywood culture, the buttons are pre-installed in you, and this movie pushes them in the right sequence. Whether that makes you mad or pleases you is up to you, because you bought the ticket and you got on the ride.
My mom took us to every Disney movie when we were little, so I made it all the way the through the film with hardly a pause. I was predisposed, but the ultimate pitch is Disney's final speech to the author, and you either buy the message of hope or you don't.
I dutifully rode through the movie as one would through a dark ride, but the lack of smoking was as jarring as if someone took out a mobile phone in the 1960s, so it was really nice that they at least threw us a bone and had us catch Disney putting out a cigarette.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Love, Death and Robots (2019)
Watched the entire thing in a row last night. I really like the anthology format with lots of little short stories, especially since its mostly darker sci-fi, sometimes even cyberpunk. I kind of ruined it for myself by bingeing the entire thing, but there was always room for just one more.
Too bad most of the stories were either not that good or not really stories that needed telling. Much like the Animatrix, there are one or two really good ones, a few mediocre ones, and the rest are not worth any time at all, but you can't tell until you watch them and before you can reach for the remote its over and its on to the next one.
Also like the Animatrix, everything is animated, sometimes as photo-realistic as can be done at this level of production, sometimes not even good enough for kids cartoons, and everywhere in-between.
The more I think about it, this really is content for young adults (not withstanding all the gratuitous genitalia). A lot of the stories are short not because they make a good point quickly, but because there's just not much there.
* spoilers *
The first story is the best, and if you hate it you can just stop right here. Remote control monster gladitorial combat, not a bad premise. I am immediately on notice (for bad writing) by the businessman's open and desperate attempts at fixing the match, as if a guy at that level got there and stays there by acting like a whiny teenager. He just met these people, who knows if they aren't recording the whole conversation, and ruining the whole sport? Why not send in a trusted subordinate to approach them with carrots and sticks, while keeping his own hands clean? He acts the way a grade school writer thinks mob bosses / CEOs / politicans / etc. behave.
There's no safety fence in the arena. Maybe the lower rows are the cheap seats, where people risk their lives for a better view. But this looks so routinely dangerous that it doesn't seem like something even dedicated fans would want to do. The antagonist gladiatorial opponent seems to be in a state of permanent 'roid rage, and probably wouldn't be able to get through a bar brawl, let alone high intensity combat.
The end reveal is nice, even with the little exposition dump it takes to get there, and I always like it when the title makes sense only at the end. More unrealistic behavior from mob/business/whatever guy; killing people who win at your area is just not good for business.
Good animation, some OK writing, the story is entertaining enough, and then its over before you can really complain about anything.
There's really nothing to say about the rest of the stories.
Too bad most of the stories were either not that good or not really stories that needed telling. Much like the Animatrix, there are one or two really good ones, a few mediocre ones, and the rest are not worth any time at all, but you can't tell until you watch them and before you can reach for the remote its over and its on to the next one.
Also like the Animatrix, everything is animated, sometimes as photo-realistic as can be done at this level of production, sometimes not even good enough for kids cartoons, and everywhere in-between.
The more I think about it, this really is content for young adults (not withstanding all the gratuitous genitalia). A lot of the stories are short not because they make a good point quickly, but because there's just not much there.
* spoilers *
The first story is the best, and if you hate it you can just stop right here. Remote control monster gladitorial combat, not a bad premise. I am immediately on notice (for bad writing) by the businessman's open and desperate attempts at fixing the match, as if a guy at that level got there and stays there by acting like a whiny teenager. He just met these people, who knows if they aren't recording the whole conversation, and ruining the whole sport? Why not send in a trusted subordinate to approach them with carrots and sticks, while keeping his own hands clean? He acts the way a grade school writer thinks mob bosses / CEOs / politicans / etc. behave.
There's no safety fence in the arena. Maybe the lower rows are the cheap seats, where people risk their lives for a better view. But this looks so routinely dangerous that it doesn't seem like something even dedicated fans would want to do. The antagonist gladiatorial opponent seems to be in a state of permanent 'roid rage, and probably wouldn't be able to get through a bar brawl, let alone high intensity combat.
The end reveal is nice, even with the little exposition dump it takes to get there, and I always like it when the title makes sense only at the end. More unrealistic behavior from mob/business/whatever guy; killing people who win at your area is just not good for business.
Good animation, some OK writing, the story is entertaining enough, and then its over before you can really complain about anything.
There's really nothing to say about the rest of the stories.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Umbrella Academy season 1? (2019)
2019.03.12
Just saw the first episode, and I'm allowing myself to feel a little hope. Someone decided to mash up a lot of X-Men First Class, some Heroes, a bit of Harry Potter, and a touch of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and improbably enough it seems to be working. I really like the cool clubhouse, the deep lore that seems to keep on giving, and the little human touches that make the characters come alive. I haven't been this hopeful for a new series since I can't recall. Please let this be something.
* spoilers *
2019.03.17
Two episodes left to go. I'm still into it, but there are some tropes here that are hard to accept. I feel like there is a whole bunch of accepted methods from the comic book world, a world I have never liked or followed, that will never work for me. Mainstream comics feels like modern day 'wrestling' to me, bound by dumb rules in some attempt to be entertaining.
There are other tropes which feel very mainstream Hollywood, that also enforce stupidity on characters and story. I especially don't like watching whole episodes of story and character development and then having the reset button pushed like its no big deal. And then they kill a main character and we're supposed to act like its real and permanent?
I still can't figure out when this show is set. Is it the 90s? No one seems to have a phone, and we see payphones in use every episode. And the cars are all old. I dare not look online, I don't want even a hint of spoilage so I'll just put up with it.
Still there's plenty to still like and love. Most of all I love its sense of humor and seriousness, and how quickly and adeptly it can move between them. I love the deep history that is never handed to you but constantly pokes out from behind a curtain, sometimes in crude exposition dump but usually subtle.
2019.03.18
Just watched the last episode of Season 1.
There are certain things I really want to nitpick, but I almost feel I can't, because the usual rules don't apply here. It's almost as if this wasn't a movie or tv show, but more like a comic book world where the as long as it feels right logic and continuity can just be forgotten.
Who sent a platoon of soldiers to shoot at our heroes? As the Handler tells us, Number Five blew up the briefcases (I guess she still had one somewhere, as she was able to travel). And why can't the soldiers hit anything? Well, in retrospect, they were doing their job, keeping the Umbrella kids always moving with no time to think, so they could make a stupid rush at Vanya while she was doing nothing wrong, instead of waiting to talk to her normally.
I like the circular nature of the problem, that the Umbrella Academy causes the apocalypse. But then why did Hargreeves travel from the future just to create it? And what was in the jar of little spirits he let go? The original 43 babies born, of which Hargreeves collected 7? Whatever happened to all the others? I was thinking other Umbrella Academies were created around the world, as these various babies were scooped up like valuable trading cards. And what's with all the rockets flying at once? It reminds me of the end of a Terminator movie, with all the nukes being launched in rural areas, and of the Superman story where aliens send their child (children in this case) to another world to start over.
It gets very tiring that nobody can talk to each other, everyone acts first. Though there are refreshing moments, such as when an exasperated Number Five wants to cut to the chase and just blurts out the point.
At least now I can start looking this up on the net.
OK, I'm glad to see that the fact that these kids are all messed up from their childhood is kind of the point. They were set up for failure right from the beginning. Was Hargreeves that inept, or was this always the plan?
The tvtropes are hard to read through, as they're constantly comparing points to the comic books. Do I want to spoil myself on the comics? Do I want to just read a list of the important bullet point comparisons? I don't normally read comics, but its tempting, as there won't be any more of this show for at least a year, and that's if its renewed.
I just realized, I'm going to miss Pogo. He never did get a flashback. I just assume he was rescued from a circus, elevated, and decided to keep his slave name for humble reasons.
I think what I'm stuck on right now is did this family ever have free will? Were they always doomed to cause the apocalypse? Apparently so, but there seems to be moments when she could just be talked to.
Still reading tvtropes and the non-stop comparisons to the source comic, I think I'm liking some of the tv show choices more.
Reading about Vanye, the threat she represented as a child really can't be underestimated. She killed (or nearly came close enough to still count) several nannies in a row before they finally came up with using a bot. She had to be restrained chemically, psychologically, and with the compelling power of Allison. Taking all this into account, maybe its not so strange she slides inexorably towards apocalypse. After all, we only were shown her placid drugged state, never her true nature.
Just saw the first episode, and I'm allowing myself to feel a little hope. Someone decided to mash up a lot of X-Men First Class, some Heroes, a bit of Harry Potter, and a touch of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and improbably enough it seems to be working. I really like the cool clubhouse, the deep lore that seems to keep on giving, and the little human touches that make the characters come alive. I haven't been this hopeful for a new series since I can't recall. Please let this be something.
* spoilers *
2019.03.17
Two episodes left to go. I'm still into it, but there are some tropes here that are hard to accept. I feel like there is a whole bunch of accepted methods from the comic book world, a world I have never liked or followed, that will never work for me. Mainstream comics feels like modern day 'wrestling' to me, bound by dumb rules in some attempt to be entertaining.
There are other tropes which feel very mainstream Hollywood, that also enforce stupidity on characters and story. I especially don't like watching whole episodes of story and character development and then having the reset button pushed like its no big deal. And then they kill a main character and we're supposed to act like its real and permanent?
I still can't figure out when this show is set. Is it the 90s? No one seems to have a phone, and we see payphones in use every episode. And the cars are all old. I dare not look online, I don't want even a hint of spoilage so I'll just put up with it.
Still there's plenty to still like and love. Most of all I love its sense of humor and seriousness, and how quickly and adeptly it can move between them. I love the deep history that is never handed to you but constantly pokes out from behind a curtain, sometimes in crude exposition dump but usually subtle.
2019.03.18
Just watched the last episode of Season 1.
There are certain things I really want to nitpick, but I almost feel I can't, because the usual rules don't apply here. It's almost as if this wasn't a movie or tv show, but more like a comic book world where the as long as it feels right logic and continuity can just be forgotten.
Who sent a platoon of soldiers to shoot at our heroes? As the Handler tells us, Number Five blew up the briefcases (I guess she still had one somewhere, as she was able to travel). And why can't the soldiers hit anything? Well, in retrospect, they were doing their job, keeping the Umbrella kids always moving with no time to think, so they could make a stupid rush at Vanya while she was doing nothing wrong, instead of waiting to talk to her normally.
I like the circular nature of the problem, that the Umbrella Academy causes the apocalypse. But then why did Hargreeves travel from the future just to create it? And what was in the jar of little spirits he let go? The original 43 babies born, of which Hargreeves collected 7? Whatever happened to all the others? I was thinking other Umbrella Academies were created around the world, as these various babies were scooped up like valuable trading cards. And what's with all the rockets flying at once? It reminds me of the end of a Terminator movie, with all the nukes being launched in rural areas, and of the Superman story where aliens send their child (children in this case) to another world to start over.
It gets very tiring that nobody can talk to each other, everyone acts first. Though there are refreshing moments, such as when an exasperated Number Five wants to cut to the chase and just blurts out the point.
At least now I can start looking this up on the net.
OK, I'm glad to see that the fact that these kids are all messed up from their childhood is kind of the point. They were set up for failure right from the beginning. Was Hargreeves that inept, or was this always the plan?
The tvtropes are hard to read through, as they're constantly comparing points to the comic books. Do I want to spoil myself on the comics? Do I want to just read a list of the important bullet point comparisons? I don't normally read comics, but its tempting, as there won't be any more of this show for at least a year, and that's if its renewed.
I just realized, I'm going to miss Pogo. He never did get a flashback. I just assume he was rescued from a circus, elevated, and decided to keep his slave name for humble reasons.
I think what I'm stuck on right now is did this family ever have free will? Were they always doomed to cause the apocalypse? Apparently so, but there seems to be moments when she could just be talked to.
Still reading tvtropes and the non-stop comparisons to the source comic, I think I'm liking some of the tv show choices more.
Reading about Vanye, the threat she represented as a child really can't be underestimated. She killed (or nearly came close enough to still count) several nannies in a row before they finally came up with using a bot. She had to be restrained chemically, psychologically, and with the compelling power of Allison. Taking all this into account, maybe its not so strange she slides inexorably towards apocalypse. After all, we only were shown her placid drugged state, never her true nature.
The Pixar Story (2007)
Saw this some time in the past month, clearing it off my Netflix list.
Feels overly sterilized and sanitized, like a lot was left out.
Feels overly sterilized and sanitized, like a lot was left out.
Still, mildly interesting.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)